Dorothy Andries, a longtime reporter known for her extensive coverage of philanthropy and the arts in the Chicago area, died September 26 at age 89. She passed away from natural causes while in hospice care at Cantata Adult Life Services in Brookfield, according to her son, Daniel Andries, a senior producer at WTTW-Ch. 11.

Andries spent more than 40 years reporting for the Pioneer Press newspaper chain, where she became a familiar presence at concerts and charitable events across the North Shore. Her work often focused on performances at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, where she interviewed notable figures including composer Henry Mancini and conductor Christoph Eschenbach. She also frequently covered fundraising events for organizations such as the United Way and the Kidney Cancer Association.

Born Dorothy Delacoma in Chicago in 1937, Andries grew up in the Edgewater neighborhood and graduated in 1954 from St. Scholastica Academy. A classically trained pianist, she won a citywide piano concerto competition in high school. She earned a journalism degree from Marquette University in 1958. After marrying, Andries initially focused on family life while doing some freelance writing, including a 1963 first-person article about giving up car ownership in Chicago.

In 1967, Andries began working as a freelance reporter for the Pioneer Press’ Deerfield Review, covering local government and arts events. Her background in music quickly led her to review performances at Ravinia, starting that same year. She joined the Pioneer Press full-time several years later. Among her early assignments was chronicling the rise of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which launched in 1976 in a Highland Park church basement before achieving international acclaim.

Andries spent several years in Milwaukee from 1978 to 1981, writing for the Milwaukee Sentinel as a features writer and travel editor. Upon returning to the Chicago area, she briefly served as managing editor at North Shore magazine before rejoining Pioneer Press in 1982. She edited the entertainment guide Diversions and created the quarterly magazine Q. In 1986, she founded and edited Trend, a weekly section focused on social and charitable events, which grew to become a substantial feature of the Pioneer Press papers.

Her commitment to highlighting both cultural offerings and philanthropic causes was a hallmark of her career. Andries described the Trend section as covering pressing issues such as Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS, cancer, and domestic violence alongside music, opera, and education. She considered her work in this area a way to amplify the efforts of charitable organizations.

Throughout her career, Andries received multiple honors, including a 1989 award from Suburban Newspapers of America for best breaking news and recognition from the Illinois Press Association for lifestyle journalism. In the mid-1990s, she also hosted “Critics Choice,” a program on the now-defunct WNIB-FM radio station featuring her Ravinia reviews.

Although Andries retired from full-time reporting in 2009, she continued contributing freelance articles to the Pioneer Press until 2019. She lived in Deerfield for many years before moving to the Oak Park area and later to senior living facilities in River Forest and Brookfield.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Donald, in 2015, and a son, DJ, in 2008. She is survived by three sons—Daniel, David, and Darrill—two sisters, Wynne Delacoma and Marguerite Delacoma, 11 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

A memorial mass and celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. on January 2 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Deerfield.